Water Saving Tips: In the Bathroom

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You know you can save water by turning off the tap while you brush your teeth, “letting it mellow” and taking care not to waste it while cooking and cleaning. But did you know this direct water use only makes up a small portion of all the water you use? There is way more water – also known as virtual water – in the food, goods and services you consume.

Read on to learn how to save water in the bathroom (be sure to check out our tips for the laundry and energy use), and take our Water Footprint Calculator to find out how much water you use directly and indirectly each day.

In the Shower

Put a bucket in the shower while you're waiting for the water to warm up, and use the water you catch for watering plants, flushing the toilet or cleaning.

Install a low-flow showerhead. It may cost you some money up front, but your water conservation efforts will save you money down the road. Conventional showerheads flow at 5 gallons per minute or more, whereas low-flow showerheads typically flow at 2.5 gallons per minute (or less!).

Spend less time in the shower. If you lose track of time, bring a radio into the bathroom and time yourself by how many songs play while you're in there. Try to get your shower time down to a single song (epic rock ballads like Freebird don’t count!).

Turn off the water if you shave or brush your teeth in the shower to save time.

In the Bathtub

Think of baths as an occasional treat and stick to showers. The average bath uses 35 to 50 gallons of water, whereas a 10-minute shower with a low-flow showerhead only uses 25 gallons.

At the Sink

Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and shave.

Install low-flow faucet aerators in your sinks - you can save gallons of water each time you use the tap. Conventional faucets flow as high as 3 gallons per minute, but low-flow faucets flow at 1.5 gallons per minute.

Fix those leaky faucets. That constant drip is more than just annoying; it’s also a huge waste of water. You can lose more than 20 gallons of water a day from a single drippy faucet!

Toilets

Get a low-flow toilet. Flushing is the biggest water hog in the house. Older, conventional toilets can use 5 to 7 gallons per flush, but low-flow models use as little as 1.6 gallons. Since the average person flushes five times a day, the gallons can really add up.

If you can’t replace your higher volume toilet, put a plastic bottle filled with water in your toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.

To check for a toilet leak, put dye or food coloring into the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak that should be repaired.

“If it’s yellow, let it mellow.” The saying may be cliché, but it’s good advice. If you're grossed-out by the “yellow,” just put the toilet lid down.

Don’t flush things down the toilet to dispose of them. Throw tissues and other bathroom waste in the garbage can, which doesn’t require gallons of water.

Every day, we all rely on water for a wide variety of uses around the house, inside and out. According to the EPA, you use 50 gallons of water a day on average. There are a lot of ways to save water around the house. Read more to find out.

Kitchen and food preparation, we spend much of our lives at home in the kitchen, the major hub of activity. Saving water in the kitchen will play a big part in reducing your water consumption at home. Read more to find out.

Our water supplies are limited. With more than half of outdoor water used for lawns and gardens, a few simple steps can reduce your outdoor water consumption. So tighten those taps, eliminate those leaks and use water wisely. Read more to find out.

Over at GOOD magazine, July's 30-day Challenge is to Waste Less. (Twitter hashtag: #30daysofgood) Here at GRACE, we've been having a great time checking out the the GOOD staff updates and the responses to the questions they've been putting to thei